Wingmates
by Wyrmseeker
Summary: Both have lost. Both have hurt. Neither Heath nor Fiora is ready to be happy again, and even when they do realize they could find comfort in the arms of a comrade once more, neither can bring themselves to accept it.
1. Chapter 1

"_Hello."_

_Heath felt the speaker sitting on the log next to him before he even had a chance to look up and see who it was. When he did, he found himself short on breath; his gaze fixated on a tall woman with light blue hair and a gentle smile. She sat next to him, keeping enough distance that he didn't feel the need to scoot away, but close enough that he knew she wasn't intimidated or shy of him at all._

"_I hope you don't mind me sitting here," she said, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "But I noticed you had a polishing rag, and I was hoping I could borrow it once you're finished. I seem to have misplaced mine."_

_Heath blinked uncomprehendingly at her before suddenly realizing what she meant. He looked down; in his left hand was his bloodied lance, and in his right was a freshly cleaned polishing cloth. He had been holding them both, sitting still for well over five minutes. Giving his head a quick shake to try and clear it, he set the lance down and held out the cloth. "Go ahead," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. "I'm finished."_

_She raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? Your lance is still..."_

"_I'm sure," he said, lowering his eyes slightly. "Here, take it."_

_The young woman hesitated, but took the cloth, offering a small smile in return. "Thanks," she said, as she set to polishing her own lance._

_Heath examined the weapon as she cleaned it. While he felt odd sitting next to her, she was the one who had approached him, and sitting here in silence was growing more and more uncomfortable; it would probably be a good idea to try and make conversation. "That's a fine weapon," he said. "Steel?"_

_She looked at him, eyebrows raised once again. "You have a good eye," she replied. "Yes, it is. It's a tad bulky for my tastes, to be perfectly honest. I have to admit, I'm not the strongest person around, so an iron lance is easier to carry. Still, I'm skilled enough that I can still make this work. I just wish it was a little lighter."_

_Heath nodded. "I can respect that."_

"_Your own weapon seems rather heavy, though," she said, glancing at Heath's own lance. "An axereaver, unless I miss my guess?"_

_He smiled. "You don't. I've had this particular one for a while now. It's probably well on its way to breaking, but it's served me well so far."_

"_I heard," she said. "From what I understand, you engaged the enemy commander, right? Eubans, his name was..."_

_The young knight lowered his eyes. "...That's right. It was a tough battle; he was far more skilled than I. But I got a lucky hit, and now he's gone."_

_She looked over his shoulder at another weapon laying on the ground, this one a light spear. "Was that his?"_

"_Yes. He dropped it when he fell. I wanted to leave it, but Hector said it might be useful."_

"_It's a fine weapon," she said, nodding her assent. "Spears are rather strong, yet still light enough that you can still maneuver well with them."_

_Heath shrugged. "A lighter weapon is nice, yeah, but you need to have a little weight if you want to do any damage."_

"_Oh? Do you?"_

"_Do I... what?"_

"_Want to do damage."_

_He smiled humorlessly. "I'd better, hadn't I? We're warriors, and this is a war."_

_The girl paused a moment before shaking her head. "You're partly right. Yes, we have to do as we're told, and we must do it as well as we can. But you'll learn quickly that around here, you're not just considered a weapon, or even an arm to wield one." She turned toward the fortress in front of which they were sitting. "Everyone here has been touched by this conflict, but not all in a bad way. This army has brought together so many people from different walks of life, and yet so many of us have become fast friends." She smiled at her companion. "Give it time, and they'll warm up to you, too."_

_Heath lowered his eyes. "Maybe... I suppose mercenaries need to be able to adjust to a new group easily, huh?"_

"_It's a good skill to have, yes," the woman sighed. "I've taken so many jobs with so many different people, it's hard to remember them all." She peered at him. "But you're no mercenary, are you?"_

_He stiffened up. "...What do you mean?"_

"_Well, it's obvious you're a knight of Bern."_

_He blinked. "How did you..."_

"_It was pretty obvious. Your armor, your fighting style, your mannerisms..." a small smile crossed her face. "Oh, and the wyvern was a bit of a tip-off."_

_He lowered his eyes. "I guess I can't expect that to be much of a secret."_

"_Why would you want to keep it secret? I have nothing but respect for the knights of Bern."_

_The mirthless smile returned to his face. "You may want to rethink that position," he said. "Some of the things that happened there... I just couldn't stand it anymore. I left."_

_She blinked. "You... what?"_

"_You heard me," he said, turning away. "I left. I deserted. I ran like a coward, from the army, from Bern... from everything."_

_She was silent, but he could feel her gazing at him even as he kept his back to her. "I see," she said at last, her voice soft. "That's why you were sitting here alone..."_

_He shut his eyes. "You should go. You don't want to be seen with a deserter like me."_

_There was another brief silence before he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Look at me," she said._

_He didn't move._

"_Look at me," she repeated, this time with a commanding tone Heath was surprised she could produce. While her voice was still gentle, he found himself compelled to obey, turning to meet her gaze. She stared straight at him, looking deep into his eyes, before shaking her head. "You're not telling me everything," she sighed. "You didn't do what you did out of cowardice. Someone as honorable as you wouldn't just desert without a good reason."_

_He snorted. "What makes you think I'm so honorable?"_

"_You defected," she said. "When Eubans ordered you to attack us, and you saw we had an unconscious child with us and women among our ranks, you refused. You surrendered yourself to us, ready to lay down your arms only to be asked to take them up against the people you'd just been fighting with. And you did so without hesitation, even taking on someone far more skilled and powerful than you because he'd been willing to kill innocents. Or is that blood you're so hesitant to wipe off your lance from another enemy?"_

_Heath looked down at his lance, then back up at her, eyes wide. "You saw all that?"_

"_I'm good at spotting things," she said. "You have to be, when you're a pegasus knight."_

_It was his turn to lift his eyebrows. "You're a pegasus knight?"_

"_Yes," she said. "So you and I are going to be flying together from now on. I figured it was a good idea to get to know the man who's going to be my new wingmate."_

_He looked away, then smiled. "...Yes, I suppose it is. I'm sorry for my behavior; it's been a trying time for me."_

"_I imagine so," she sighed, smiling. "But I hope it gets better from now on."_

_He returned her grin. "Thanks to you, it already has."_

_She looked a little taken aback, and a light blush crossed her face, but she nodded nevertheless. "I'm glad to hear that," she said. She extended her hand "I'm Fiora, by the way."_

"_I'm Heath," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Dame Fiora."_

"_You, too." She released his hand and rose to go. "I'd best get going now, but I hope we can talk again sometime. Oh, and before I forget..." She held out her hand, the polishing cloth clutched within it. "Sometimes, it's a good idea to let the past go. Wipe your slate clean, so to speak."_

_Heath hesitated a moment before taking the cloth from her. She flashed him another smile as she left. He watched her go for a few seconds before looking down at his lance again. He paused a moment before putting the cloth to the blade, and, after taking a breath, began wiping away Eubans's blood._

* * *

The memory of that first meeting faded with the night as the sun rose over the horizon, the choppy waves flashing light up at Heath. He let the sea breeze waft over him, accompanied by the wind from Hyperion's gently beating wings. With the ship cruising along leisurely below him, most of the crew barely awake as they moved about in their various morning rituals, Heath cast one glance backwards at the main continent of Elibe. He couldn't see the mainland anymore; they had long since left Badon, and been sailing most of the night, so it was no surprise that the horizon held only water.

Looking ahead, though, he could just make out the coast of Valor. Though he had not seen the Dread Isle himself, many of his new comrades in Eliwood's army told him of the events that had occurred there shortly after he joined up. He couldn't imagine the grief Eliwood felt at seeing his father die like that, or the rage that now pulsed through him. But he did have an idea of grief, dark memories carried over from his days as a soldier that he'd rather not revisit, yet he couldn't stop recalling them.

But his reminiscing was interrupted as a call of "Hey, Heath!" suddenly reached his ears. Startled, he jerked up and looked around, but it was only when he glanced downward that he saw the pirate—Dart was his name—waving at him from the crow's nest. It was closer than he'd expected; apparently he and Hyperion had been losing altitude, getting closer and closer to the ship.

"You all right up there?" Dart called. "You seem a little out of it! Don't want you flying into the rigging!"

Heath smiled. "I'm not so dumb as to do something like that," he called back. "But thanks. I guess I haven't been paying much attention. I was lost in thought."

"Well, be careful," Dart replied, "Or thought ain't the only thing you'll be lost in."

The pirate began to lift himself down onto the ropes leading to the deck, but Heath started slowly descending and called to him. "Hey, Dart?"

The pirate looked up at Heath as the wyvern rider came level with the crow's nest, careful not to get too close to any of the myriad ropes hanging above the ship. "Yeah?"

"You were here earlier, right? The first time the group came to the Dread Isle?"

Dart hesitated. "Yeah, I was. I joined 'em right before they set out to the ruins. Why?"

"I'm just wondering," Heath replied, lowering his eyes. "The others… there seem to be a lot of memories of this place, mostly bad."

"_Mostly?_" Dart let out a laugh. "I've gotta tell you, Heath, that's quite the understatement. Lessee, now… Eliwood, of course, lost his father, and Matthew, the spy? We found his love's body while moving out for the Dragon's Gate. Even Lyn had to kill one of her own countrymen without knowing why. And then there's the pegasus knight…"

Heath looked up. "What's that? Which pegasus knight?"

"The eldest," Dart explained. "I… er… well, maybe I shouldn't be saying this…"

"The eldest..." Heath echoed. He nodded. "You're probably right. If she wanted me to know, I'm sure she'd have told me."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened myself," Dart admitted. "So I can't really help you either way."

"That's fine," Heath said. "Thanks for looking out for me, Dart. Don't worry too much about the rigging."

"Just keep your distance," the pirate admonished, once again starting down towards the deck.

Heath pulled back on the reigns, and Hyperion responded by rising higher into the air. It wasn't long enough before Heath found himself lost in thought once again, but this time his mind was concerned with a very different subject. He believed what he'd said; it was her choice whether or not she wanted to tell him what had happened.

But he couldn't say he wasn't hoping she _would_ choose to do so.

* * *

"_Dame Fiora!"_

_Hyperion's mighty wings beat over the desert sands faster than any of their comrades could travel. Heath leveled his lance at the enemy archer. The man was notching another arrow to his bow when he heard the sound of approaching wings, and turned just in time to see Heath's weapon plunging toward him._

_Hyperion collided with the ground in an explosion of sand; the grit still hung in the air as Heath leaped off the wyvern, leaving his lance buried in the archer and sprinting across the sand toward Fiora. She glanced up at him, still clutching her arm where the arrow had hit. "Heath, no! I'm fine! Get back in the battle!"_

_Heath kept running until he slid to a halt right beside her. He already had a vulnerary in his hand, and began treating her wound._

_Fiora's face grew earnest. "Heath, please! Stop wasting time! You need to help Pent!"_

_Heath looked at her, confused. "Pent? Who…" He suddenly turned and looked out across the sand dunes, where a sage was fighting off a number of enemy units. "That man? You mean you know him?"_

"_I…" Fiora lowered her eyes. "He… he was my employer, for the mission when..." She shook her head. "I need to speak with him, Heath! Besides, we were tasked with protecting him! Go! Make sure he's all right!"_

_The sage in question was dispatching enemies left and right quite easily on his own. He was outnumbered, but those numbers were shrinking rapidly. Heath returned to his work, shaking his head. "This 'Pent' fellow seems to be holding his own just fine. Hold still; this will only take a second to patch."_

_Fiora's mouth opened to voice another protest, but instead her words came out in a panicked scream. "Heath, look out!"_

_She shoved him out of the way just as a bolt of dark magic rose out of the ground and struck the air in front of him. He whirled around to see an enemy shaman cursing and preparing another attack. Heath's hand immediately went to the spear at his side; he flung the shaft through the air, but the mage dodged it easily. Heath had never expected him to be that agile. But the wyvern rider was running forward again almost before he knew it, his larger and heavier lance in hand. Another spell clipped him, and he nearly fell, but he managed to make it far enough to thrust forward, ending the threat of the shaman, before collapsing to the ground._

_The next thing he saw was Fiora rolling him over, her face wearing a mix of concern and anger. "I told you to go help Pent!" She picked up the vulnerary he had been using, still mostly full despite treating her wound, and began dressing his own._

_Heath shook his head as he tried to blink his eyes into focus against the bright sun. "If he didn't come after me, he would have come after you…"_

"_I could have handled it," Fiora fumed. "Pegasus knights do better against magic than wyvern riders. You know that. It was foolish to come after me like that!" She looked around. "At least it looks like we're out of danger, for now. But we need to get to Pent." She pulled him up and started toward her pegasus._

_As he looked after her, he felt his cheeks turn red. "I'm sorry," he muttered._

_She looked back at him, her eyes still showing anger, although not as much. "You can't just risk yourself and the mission like that, Heath," she said sternly. "You've been a knight long enough to know what can happen when you disobey orders." She gazed at him for a moment before mounting up and flying away._

_He pulled himself up as he watched her leave. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes, I have."_

_He staggered toward Hyperion, hoping to __rejoin the battle quickly. He shook his head and chastised himself silently. Fiora was right; he'd made a mistake, risking his own life to help her. But he couldn't __help it, and if it happened again, he wasn't sure he'd do anything differently. After what __happened before, he was determined to protect his comrades—no matter the cost._

* * *

Fiora didn't like being cooped up indoors. She was, after all, a pegasus knight; her home was the sky, and to be separated from it for too long made her feel ill. Although, to be honest, most of her current illness was due to the constant rocking of the boat. The perpetual back-and-forth motion, combined with the inescapable saline-smelling air, was doing her stomach no favors. Still, it could have been worse. At least she could still stand. If she wanted to, that is.

A knocking sound drew her attention to where Farina was standing. "Can I come in?" the blue-haired knight asked.

Fiora managed a smirk. "Very funny." The deck was one large open area; it wasn't a door Farina was knocking on, but a post near the bench that Fiora had sat herself down on hours before. "Sure, why not? Make sure to close the door behind you."

Farina walked over, sitting on the bench next to her sister. "Are you ok? You're looking pretty green."

"I'm fine," the older sister replied. "It's just the poor light in here making me look that way."

In response, Farina took a lantern from a nearby post and held it up to her sister's face. "Hm... nope, you're green."

"Oh, hush," Fiora said, smirking, as she pushed the lantern away.

Farina replaced it on the post before giving her sister a worried look. "Maybe you should go above decks?"

"Yes, because the only thing better than feeling the ocean moving is _seeing_ the ocean moving."

Farina rolled her eyes. "No, really. I've heard it helps. Look, if you want to get off the boat, why don't you just go for a flight? I'm sure your pegasus would appreciate the exercise. After all, he's been cooped up just as long as you have."

Fiora shook her head. "No thanks, I'm fine."

"Fiora, I really think it would help."

"I'm fine!" she said emphatically, a little too much so, she realized. Farina drew away; Fiora looked up at her and did her best to smile. "Sorry. I just... I don't really feel like going out for a flight right now."

"Why not?" Farina asked. "It'd make you feel better."

Fiora hesitated a moment. "...We're almost to Valor, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I overheard Fargus telling Hector that we should be there within an hour."

"I'll stay down here, thanks."

Farina was silent for a moment, then she let out a sigh and shook her head. "Well, if you say so." She rose to go before looking down at her sister one more time. "Hey, sis?"

"Yeah?"

The younger knight hesitated before speaking. "You... you know that you can talk to us, right? Florina and I, I mean. We're here for you." She paused. "...You're not alone."

Fiora smiled. "Sometimes I feel like I am. But I know I shouldn't. You two have done a lot for me these past few months. Reconnecting with Florina, reconciling with you... I'm happy we were finally able to come together as a family again, after all this time."

Farina studied her sister. "But that's not what's bothering you, is it?"

"No," she admitted. "It's not."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

A moment's pause. "...Did Florina tell you? About what happened here before?"

"She... may have mentioned it, yes."

"Then I hope you can understand why I actually don't want to talk about it. Not now, at least."

Farina nodded after a brief hesitation. "I do. But remember, you can talk to us."

Fiora smiled. "Of course."

As Farina started up the steps to the upper deck, Fiora called out to her one last time "Hey, Farina?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"Have you... have you seen Heath lately?"

"Actually, he's got his wyvern out for a flight right now. Almost flew into the rigging before Dart yelled at him. I guess he's got a lot on his mind, too." She looked at her sister for a moment. "You want me to tell him anything?"

"No," Fiora said quickly, "That's all right. I was just asking."

Farina smirked a little, but not so little that Fiora didn't see it. The older pegasus knight felt herself blushing as her sister continued up the steps.

A few minutes later, Fiora rose herself. She'd been able to deal with the seasickness so far, but it seemed to have become downright unbearable in the last few minutes. Besides, she did want to see the sky again—even if it was the sky above the Dread Isle.

Perhaps she'd take that flight after all.

* * *

_Bern._

_So simple a word—only four letters, one syllable. Yet the meanings it held for Heath defied description. It had been his home for his entire life, his home that he'd served it proudly as a soldier when he was old enough. And then, one day… it wasn't. In the space of a few minutes, they had made a decision that had irrevocably changed all their lives._

_His life, anyway. The others…_

"_You know," Sain called, interrupting his thoughts, "If those flowers are meant for a woman, I think you may have more luck with something a little… fuller."_

_Heath glanced over at the Caelin knight. He hadn't even noticed Sain standing there as he'd walked past on his way to Hyperion. Looking down at the flowers clutched in his hand, the wyvern rider had to smirk. They were a bit… scraggly, to be sure. But in the rocky terrain of Bern's mountains, they were the best he could do. He should know, after all; he'd flown over these mountains more times than he could count._

"_They're not for a woman," he replied. "They're for… some friends."_

"_I see," Sain said, sidling up closer to the knight and look__ing entirely unconvinced. "Tell me, Heath… these friends wouldn't happen to be named Fiora, would they?"_

_The humor vanished from Heath's smile. "No. They… their names are—were—entirely different."_

_Sain wore a look of confusion briefly, before it gave way to one of understanding. "Oh… I-I apologize, I had no idea…"_

"_It's all right," Heath sighed. "It's only about a mile away from here. I'll be back soon."_

_The horseman nodded. "Take care, then."_

_Heath didn't bother prolonging the conversation any further as he mounted Hyperion and the two of them took to the air. He did smile to himself, though. Sain could be a bit… meddlesome, but his intentions were good enough. Heath had found both him and Kent to be valuable allies and good friends in the short time he'd been with the group. It was good to have comrades again._

_Although nothing would compare to flying alongside them… but that couldn't be helped._

_Before he knew it, they'd arrived. Hyperion seemed to know the spot well, even though they'd only been there once. Heath wondered if it still bore the scent of the three other wyverns; Hyperion had known all of them well, especially Theia. He found himself wondering what had become of them. He'd heard tales about beasts that would stay at their master's graves, loyal even in death, until they, too, passed on._

_It was a discomforting thought. He pushed it aside; he'd have more than enough of those in the next few minutes._

_The three makeshift grave markers were right where he had left them when he'd buried Isaac, Lachius, and—he found a lump forming in his throat as he thought the name—Belminade. Apparently, nobody had found them in the intervening months—or, if they had, they'd left the graves alone. The riders' names were nowhere to be seen, but their helms were there, each carrying the symbol of their group: a curled wyvern's tale, wreathed in flame and ready to strike. He held three of the small mountain flowers in his hand, that being all he could find, and so he left only one at each grave, one for each of his fallen comrades. The flowers looked stark and pathetic, their scraggly nature only amplified by the bleakness of the scene… and yet, in spite of that, Heath was glad they were there. Even that little bit of color, that little splash of life, seemed to help. At the very least, it was helping him._

"_Heath…"_

_He spun around, surprised, to find Fiora watching him from a short distance away. Her hands were clasped together and her head was bowed, her eyes peering up at him from under her light blue bangs. He was shocked that he hadn't heard her approach; looking around, he couldn't see her pegasus, and realized she must have come on foot to minimize the noise she made. More shocking, though, was the expression on her face. If he'd known she was there, he may have expected pity from her, or maybe guilt for what she had said earlier. But he didn't expect her face to be contorted with sadness, looking like she were about to cry, as if those graves didn't hold his comrades, but her own._

"_Fiora?" He moved to block her view of t__he grave markers, then stopped, realizing it was pointless to try and hide all three. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I… Sain told me I should check on you, and…" She trailed off, her eyes fixed on the markers. "Heath, what happened here?"_

_Heath didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say, to be honest. It was clear enough what the three markers were, and the emblems on the helmets were exactly the same as the one on his. It wasn't much of an intuitive leap for Fiora to figure out what this place was. What she couldn't figure out, he didn't exactly want to tell her just yet._

"_I'm sorry," she said. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it."_

_He nodded. "I appreciate that. Thanks."_

_Fiora lowered her eyes, letting silence hang in the air for a long time before speaking again. "…I guess this is why you were so worried about me the other day?"_

_He paused for a moment. "…Maybe."_

"_I'm sorry, Heath," she said. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I guess we just haven't really had a chance late__ly…"_

_He smiled, only partially forcing it. "Meeting a millennia-old sage and being teleported halfway across the continent does kind of take precedence."_

_She smiled as well, but quickly suppressed it._

"_I wasn't about to abandon you when you were injured," __he said, trying to draw attention away from his fallen wingmates. "But I let myself get too distracted, and I wound up getting hurt myself because of it. I'm sorry I overreacted."_

"_I did, too," Fiora sighed. "I'm sorry, Heath. At the time, I just... when I__ realized Pent was there, I knew I needed to talk to him. I let my emotions take control of me, and when you tried to help me, I spoke too harshly."_

_Heath blinked. "Does... does Pent really mean that much to you?"_

_Fiora shook her head. "I don't know him very well, to be honest. But as I said, he's the one who hired me for the last mission, and..." She bit her lip. "I..."_

_Heath took a step towards her. This was the second time she'd mentioned that mission... and been unable to go on. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and closed it again. He'd wanted to prompt her to tell him more, but he knew he couldn't reasonably expect her to do so when he wouldn't tell her about the three graves mere inches away._

"_I'm sorry," he said._

"_Me too." She __was holding back tears, he noticed._

_Heath wanted to say something more, but again, didn't know what. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "We should probably go back to camp," he said. "Don't want to worry the others."_

_She nodded her assent after a moment's pause. "You go ahead," she said. "I left my pegasus over that ridge. I'll have to walk over and get him before I return."_

"_OK," Heath said. He turned towards Hyperion and started to mount up, then stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Fiora. "Actually...__ I think I'd rather walk with you."_

_She looked up at him, surprised. "What? You... you would?"_

_He paused for a moment. "...Yeah, I would. As long as you don't mind, that is," he added quickly._

_She, too, hesitated before speaking. "Actually... I'd like that. Thank you, Heath."_

_Despite the somber mood, he couldn't help but smile. "No, thank you. Come on, Hyperion."_

_A snort from the wyvern._

"_Oh, be quiet," Heath sighed. "You need to work on your leg strength anyway."_

_Another snort._


	2. Chapter 2

_The endless sky opened before Fiora, and yet somehow, it was not enough._

_She urged her pegasus forward, starting out with a leisurely glide. Soon enough, the two of them dipped and pulled into a dive, quickly pulling up and performing a loop in the sky. Not wanting to lose momentum, Fiora pulled to one side, and they banked into a hard turn. The wind whipping through Fiora's hair felt good, but she wanted more, and urged her pegasus onward, faster and faster. From the ground, they appeared as a white streak across the sky. Noticing her pegasus was starting to tire, she pulled into another dive, this one much steeper. They plummeted through the air, building up more and more momentum, until at last she leveled off, still hundreds of feet of the ground. With all the speed they'd built up, her pegasus was able to blaze ahead with little effort, covering several miles of sky in mere minutes._

_And yet somehow, it was not enough._

_Letting out a sigh, she banked to the side again, gently this time. The turn was wide and slow, and yet it was not until she had completed it that she spotted the dark shape in her path. She slowed down as the shape grew rapidly near, until it resolved into the recognizable form of Heath and his wyvern. The two flying bodies came to rest, hovering a few feet from each other._

"_Is everything all right?" Fiora called, wondering why he had come out all this way to find her._

"_I could ask you the same thing," Heath replied._

_Fiora sighed, although the sound was lost in the beating of their mounts' wings. While Heath's concern was understandable, maybe even a little touching, she wasn't feeling up to dealing with it right now. "Yes," she said simply._

_He nodded, clearly able to tell that she was lying. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"_

"_I…" she paused. She wanted to say 'yes,' but then again, she'd been alone all this time, and what had it gained her? "No, actually. I think… it'd be nice to talk for a while. If you don't mind."_

_Heath smiled that sweet, understanding smile of his. "Talking to you is always a pleasure. But why don't we land first? These guys are bound to get tired sooner or later."_

_Fiora nodded, pulled away from him, and began her descent. Heath followed soon after, the shadow of his far bulkier mount occasionally sweeping over Fiora and her pegasus. Though the group was camped out in a marshy area, the two of them had flown far enough away that the ground beneath was more forested. They managed to find a clearing large enough for both of them to set down in, and they hitched their mounts to one of the trees before heading off to find a place to sit. Looking over her shoulder, Fiora was surprised, and more than a little heartened, to see Hyperion being nuzzled affectionately by her pegasus. The sight put a smile on her face as she and Heath sat down under a tree some distance away._

"_So," Fiora said, not sure how to begin. _

"_So," Heath echoed, not having much luck coming up with words himself. It was clear from his tone that he wanted to talk to her, but was unsure of what to say._

"_It can be hard sometimes," Fiora said after a long pause, "to tell someone that you love them."_

_Heath was caught off-guard by her statement. "I… beg your pardon?"_

_Fiora shrugged. "Well, when you realize how important someone has become to you, it can be hard to tell them that. After all, if you upset them, and they pull away from you, you've lost that connection."_

"_I… suppose that's true."_

"_But isn't it just as bad the other way? If you don't tell someone their feelings, how can they know?"_

"_They might be able to figure it out just from watching you," Heath replied, finally able to contribute something to the conversation. "Love isn't the easiest thing to hide."_

"_I think that's part of the__ problem, actually," Fiora sighed. "We try _too_ hard to hide it, and succeed, so that the other person never realizes how we feel." She lifted her arms in the air. "And then we get mad at them for not realizing it, because surely they could intuit it from t__he way we act around them! How could they not get the signals we're trying so hard not to send?"_

_Heath opened his mouth to say something, shut it, and shrugged._

_Fiora shook her head, lowering her arms. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I guess I'm a little tense."_

"_I guess so," Heath agreed. "But you have every right to be."_

"_I wasn't expecting to have to deal with this. I'm not sure if I can handle it."_

_Heath looked at her for a moment, then shifted uncomfortably. "I… I loved someone when I was a knight, and I didn't tell her until it was almost too late. If I'd done it sooner… maybe things wouldn't have turned out as bad."_

"_Or maybe you'd have just been hurt."_

"_Maybe. But I could live with being hurt. Not knowing… that's hard to take. Hard to forget."_

_There was a brief silence before Fiora nodded. "I suppose you're right." She sighed. "Still, this isn't the same as that."_

"_No," Heath agreed quickly. "Not at all. That was… a completely different kind of love."_

_Fiora said nothing, simply gazing into the distance._

"_But," Heath went on cautiously, "I think my point still stands. You may be worried about what'll happen if you meet this head on, but if you don't meet it at all, I think you'll regret it."_

_Still, Fiora was silent. Heath said nothing as well, letting the silence hang between them as they thought._

_Finally, the pegasus knight let out a sigh. "You're right. Of course you're right. I knew that before I even brought it up." She shifted around to look at him. "But it does me good to hear someone else say it for a change. Thank you, Heath."_

_He didn't meet her gaze; he simply nodded. "Glad I could help."_

_Silence returned to the clearing once more before Heath spoke up again, hesitantly. "Fiora?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Have you… have you ever been in love?"_

_She glanced at him. "That's an odd question."_

"_Sorry," he mumbled quickly. "I was just-"_

"_No," she said suddenly, surprising him into silence. "No, I don't think I have. I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to."_

_Heath nodded. "I see."_

"_What about you?" She paused before continuing. "You mentioned a girl you knew as a knight. Were you and she… in love?"_

_Heath blushed, but he still opened his mouth to speak. Fiora knew he wouldn't have asked such a question without expecting her to ask him in turn. Nevertheless, before he could answer, they were both distracted as the sound of flapping wings reached their ears. They stood in unison, looking back in the direction of the camp, and saw a pegasus moving through the sky above them. It flew in a straight line for a while, then curved around and began to descend._

"_She must have seen our mounts," Heath said._

_Fiora nodded._

"_You ready?"_

_She sighed. "As I'll ever be."_

"_You were talking about her, right? When you said it's hard to tell someone that you love them?"_

"_Of course."_

_She didn't bother asking who else she might be talking about. In any event, she saw Heath relaxing out of the corner of her eye, and relaxed a little herself._

_Soon, the second pegasus had landed in the clearing, its rider dismounting and walking towards them nervously. "Hey. Um… I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"_

_Fiora shook her head. "It's all right, sister. We were just talking."_

"_I see. Um…" she looked over her shoulder. "We couldn't find you back at the camp, and the others were getting concerned…. So, I…"_

"_You volunteered to come look for us." Fiora smiled. "That's… that's very kind of you, Farina."_

_The blue-haired pegasus knight blushed. "Hey, I wasn't the only one! Florina went out in the other direction. She's worried about you, you know."_

"_I know. But I think she can wait a little longer." Fiora took a breath, then turned to the man at her side. "Heath, will you go ahead and let the others know we're all right? I… I want to talk to Farina for a moment."_

_Fiora's sister looked as nervous as she did at the idea of 'talking' to each other, but Heath nodded. "I'll see you two back there." He started towards his wyvern._

_Fiora hesitated briefly before calling out, "Heath?"_

_He turned. "Yeah?"_

"…_Thanks again for helping me out."_

_Again, he just nodded before continuing towards Hyperion._

_Farina raised her eyebrows. "Helping you out?"_

_Fiora chuckled a little. "Come on. We're just friends."_

"_Maybe for now," Farina said, cocking her hips to one side. "But I've seen how he looks at you. I know that look."_

_Fiora blushed. "Look, that's… that's not important right now. I… I do want to talk to you." She took a breath. Heath had been right; she needed to do this now, rather than regret not doing it later._

_Heath looked back over his shoulder as he took off. Most of their conversation was lost in the flapping of Hyperion's wings, but the bits he did get put a smile on his face. He lifted up on the reins, and a mighty flap of the wyvern's wings sent them hurtling through the sky before he had a chance to see the two sisters hug for the first time in years._

* * *

Hyperion's claws touched down gently on the ship's deck. The wyvern had reduced his speed to match that of the ship, still moving fast enough to stay aloft but slow enough for a smooth landing. Heath jumped down and was starting to lead his mount belowdecks when he saw a certain blue-haired pegasus knight coming his way. Farina obviously wasn't paying attention to where she was going; she seemed to be lost in thought (which never a good sign for the group's finances), so Heath stepped to the side. She walked straight past both of them without even looking up. Heath gave Hyperion a bemused glance. The wyvern just snorted indignantly.

Farina jumped at the sound, spinning around to face the two. "Heath! Where did you come from?!"

"Right here," he said, motioning at the deck. "You walked straight past me."

"I did not!" she said indignantly; then, after a moment, she slumped. "I did, didn't I? Ugh… sorry, Heath, I've got a lot on my mind."

"It's fine," he replied, smiling sadly. "We all do."

"Yeah." She shivered slightly in the ocean air. "So, a flight, huh? That might be a good idea."

"Don't let me stop you," he said, motioning to the stairs she'd just come up.

She shook her head. "Maybe later. I've got other things to do right now."

"I see. Well, take care."

She nodded at him as they each turned and walked in opposite directions. Heath once again started to lead Hyperion belowdecks, but he glanced over his shoulder to see Farina standing there, glancing up towards the foggy skies. Heath paused a moment, wondering if he should get involved, then decided he might as well speak. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Hm?" Farina turned, surprised to see him still there. "Oh, I was just wondering if Florina might be up there. I couldn't find her anywhere on the ship."

"Really?" Heath said, arching an eyebrow. "Well, I didn't see her when I was up there."

"I figured as much," Farina said, cocking her head at him. "But why do you sound so surprised?"

"Oh, well…" he felt himself reddening a little. "I just ran into Dart up there a little while ago, and I thought maybe…"

"You thought I was looking for him?"

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," Heath said, trying not to sound too defensive.

"Yeah," she sighed, crossing her arms. "It's that silly map of his. He's got me thinking it can lead to treasure, and now we're both trying to get to it first."

"Oh," the wyvern rider said. "That's why you're always following him around, huh?"

She frowned at him. "You know, Heath, just because a man and a woman spend time together doesn't mean there's anything between them."

"I know that, I just–"

"I'm not interested in Dart, and as near as I can tell, he's not interested in me. I'm not even sure I'd call us friends. We're just treasure-hunting partners. Rivals. …Whatever."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"No, you didn't–" she sighed. "Sorry. Dart's not a bad guy or anything. But you're reading too far into things."

"I already said I was sorry," Heath muttered.

"I guess I shouldn't judge," she said, turning away. "When I saw you with Fiora, I…"

Heath remained silent.

"Aw, nuts," she sighed, shaking her head. "I'd better shut up before we both make fools of ourselves."

Heath did not disagree. "Have you considered checking the hold?" he asked. "If Florina's pegasus isn't there, she's probably out for a flight herself. With this fog, we could have flown right past each other and not known it."

"Good idea," she said, smiling gratefully at him. "She might be down there herself, anyway. She loves pampering Huey; she spoils the poor thing, if you ask me."

"_She_ spoils her pegasus?" Heath said bemusedly. "Don't I recall overhearing you telling Hector that the 'noble carrots' you feed your mount don't come cheap?"

"They don't! And by the way, what I tell Hector is none of your business!"

Heath couldn't tell whether she was playing, or was genuinely upset by his remark. Either way, though, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be far more flustered by the mention of Hector than she had been by that of Dart.

"Don't you go reading into that at all, either," she warned; his thoughts must have been apparent on his face.

"I'm not," he said, holding up his arms. "It's like you said; if I think you're with Hector, you might as well think I'm with Fiora."

She hesitated, then nodded. "And don't you forget it, either!" she added.

Smiling, Heath stood aside, motioning down the stairs. Farina took his signal and walked forward, heading down into the hold. After a few steps, she stopped and looked back up at him. "Hey, Heath… as long as I'm headed down there, why don't I stable your wyvern for you?"

He looked at her quizzically. "You're not going to charge me for it, are you?"

"Of course not!" Then, with an impish grin, she added, "Of course, if you feel like tipping, who am I to stop you?"

Heath couldn't help but laugh as he handed the reins over to her. "I do appreciate it," he said. "I was looking forward to spending a little more time on deck while I can. And we'll discuss your payment later, all right?"

"Glad to hear it," she said, leading the wyvern away.

Heath started back up the stairs when he heard her voice once more. It was lowered, and he realized he probably wasn't intended to hear it; still, he couldn't help himself as his ears focused on her words.

"You know, Hyp," she was sighing, "it's a shame, really. The two of them would make a good couple, if you ask me."

Heath blinked in surprise as he realized who she was talking about. And, as much as he would like to, he couldn't bring himself to agree with her this time.

* * *

"_Here you go."_

_The gentle voice had barely reached his ears when he felt the blanket fall across his shoulders. He looked up to find the seemingly ever-present form of Fiora, wearing her gentle smile. Part of him wanted to shrug off the blanket, not wanting to seem weak in the face of the cold, but it was superseded by the part of him that had already drawn it tight around him. His shaking lessened slightly and he managed to slip a "Thank you" between his chattering teeth._

_She sat down next to him. "You'll be all right," she said. "If you were going to die you'd be a lot worse off than this. And now that we've captured this fortress, we'll do something about warming it up."_

_Heath nodded. "I'm s-s-sure all the holes w-w-w punched in the walls will h-h-help a lot with t-t-that."_

_She laughed. "See? You've still got your sense of humor. I told you you'd be all right."_

"_Y-y-yeah." He glanced at her, noticing she wasn't having nearly as much trouble with the cold as he did. "H-h-hey, how come you're n-n-not shivering?"_

"_I'm from Ilia," she sighed. "We're used to the cold, and we know how to handle it."_

"_You m-m-mean you have s-s-some kind of b-b-built in r-r-resistance?"_

"_No, I mean I have the presence of mind to bring along a winter coat when we travel into mountains." She motioned to the fur-trimmed coat he just now noticed was adorning her shoulders with a bit of a smirk._

_Heath laughed. "Oh. Oops."_

_She studied him for a moment longer, and pursed her lips. "Heath?"_

"_Yeah?" He was beginning to warm up, finally able to bring the chattering under control._

"_Are… are you angry with me?"_

_Fiora had been catching Heath off-guard since the instant they met, but from the look on his face, she could tell that this was really surprising. "What? Why on earth w-would I be mad at you?"_

_She looked away. "When you saw her in the mountains the other day, the look on your face… I just knew you would go after her. And I knew I had to stop you."_

_A look of understanding crossed Heath's face, and he nodded. "I k-know. I h-had a lot of q-q-questions for her…"_

"_But she was working with the enemy, Heath," Fiora said, her soft voice filled with worry._

"_That would h-h-have been the f-f-first question."_

_Fiora smiled, but went on. "And that look on her face… She wasn't moving from her spot on the mountain, but if you had gotten within her reach…" She shut her eyes. "I'm sorry, Heath. I know I came between you and your mentor, but I…"_

_She trailed off. She could tell he was reflecting on the events of that battle, remembering how he saw Vaida atop a mountain with a few other wyvern riders, able to recognize her and Umbriel even from a distance, the presence of such a familiar form only adding to the confusion of the battlefield. He started for her immediately, only to find Fiora standing resolute in front of him, her hands on his shoulders. He had struggled, he had yelled at her, but she held firm. She told him Vaida was with the enemy, that the augury had warned them she held greater power than she should, and that he couldn't get close without risking his life. He had spat back at her, tried unsuccessfully to refute her claims, but in the end, he relented, and cast one last forlorn look back at Vaida before flying into battle with Fiora._

_Presently, he favored he__r with that disarming smile of his. "I'm not angry, Fiora. At least… not at you. You were right. I didn't want to see that at the time, but you were only looking out for me." He let out a heavy sigh. "I just… I just wish we knew what she was doing out ther__e. Why was she flying with the Black Fang? Why was she fighting us? Why…" He trailed off._

_Fiora edged closer to him. "I'm sorry, Heath… I wish I knew what to say." She hesitated a moment before going on. "Vaida… must mean a great deal to you…"_

"_She does." A smile crossed his face as he reminisced. "She was the one who found us and brought us together. She shaped us into some of the greatest riders Bern's ever seen." His eyes shut involuntarily. "And she stayed behind to ensure we got out…"_

"_We?" Fiora asked._

"_Vaida's Raiders," he explained. "Our flight."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"_

"_Yeah." He paused. "I guess it sounds a little strange, but back then we were truly a force to be reckoned with. If only…" He trailed off, finding that his gaze had wandered into the distance. He shook his head. "But that was another time. It's not important now. I'm sorry for boring you like this."_

"_It's OK," she said softly. She lifted her hand in the air, hesitated briefly, then placed it on his shoulder. "You'll see her again someday, Heath. I promise, you'll be back together eventually."_

_She was pleased to see a smile creep across his face. "Thanks. I… wait." He glanced up at her, a sudden look of surprise filling his eyes. "What do you mean, 'together?' You don't think that Vaida and I were…?"_

"_What? Er… well…" She looked away, her face reddening. "…were you?"_

"_No! I-I mean… Vaida? I…" He shook his head vigorously "No!"_

"_Oh!" She blushed even more deeply. "Well, of course, I didn't mean that… to imply that…"_

"_It's OK," he said quickly, putting his hand on hers in a feeble attempt to be reassuring. "It's just…"_

"_I misunderstood you," she said, offering what she hoped was a convincing smile._

"_Right," he said, returning her grin._

"_Sorry," she said, trying not to blush. "The way you spoke about her, just made me wonder…"_

_He shook his head. "She was a very important person to me, but not like that."_

"_Right, of course," Fiora said. "I see." She was still blushing._

"_You don't need to be embarrassed," he said._

"_I'm not."_

_Heath didn't believe her, but decided not to press the issue._

"_Even so," she said, "I do hope you get your answers."_

_Heath nodded. "It would be good to fly alongside her again."_

_Fiora studied him for a moment. "Well, for now I'm afraid you'll have to settle for me," she said at last._

_Heath let out a chuckle. "Dame Fiora, the way you fly, I think Vaida might even be a little jealous."_

_The pegasus knight seemed a bit surprised, but smiled. "Perhaps," she said. "I guess we'll find out eventually."_

* * *

Fiora entered the cargo hold that had been converted into a makeshift stable for the group's horses, wyverns, and pegasi. The sight that greeted her made her hesitate, but she took a breath and stepped in anyway. The woman who was there already glanced over her, sneering when she saw the Pegasus knight coming—or maybe she had been sneering already. With her, it was hard to tell.

"Oh, it's you," she said, turning away from Fiora. "Taking your mangy beast out for a flight?"

"Yes, Dame Vaida," Fiora replied. The blonde wyvern rider had only been with them a short time, but Fiora had already learned that trying to respond to her bitterness was pointless. She just wanted to saddle up and get out of here.

"Hmph. Try not to fall."

Fiora nodded. She'd already crossed over to her pegasus and was starting to secure the saddle on its back.

"Pegasi," Vaida snorted. "Such fragile creatures. Pitiful excuses for flying mounts. Of course, you're no master rider yourself. The way you fly, I'm surprised you've lasted this long in the army."

The saddle was finally fastened. Fiora headed toward the exit with her pegasus, trying not to move too quickly. She was normally a calm, level-headed individual, but Vaida was already beginning to wear at her nerves, and she didn't want the woman to know how anxious she was to put some distance between them.

"Fiora," Vaida called as she was about to exit the hold.

Taking another breath, Fiora turned. "Yes?"

To her surprise, the wyvern rider's smile had less malevolence in it than usual. "I'm not going to get a rise out of you like that, am I?"

Fiora blinked. "W-what?"

Vaida walked towards her; Fiora resisted the urge to step back. "You have to understand, Fiora, this is just the way I deal with people. I don't hate you." She paused. "…Well, I don't hate you any more than I hate anyone else, anyway."

_Where is she going with this? _Fiora wondered as she nodded slowly. "I… see…?"

"But I want to talk to you. I've been meaning to for some time now, actually."

"About what?" Fiora asked, doing her best to mask her confusion.

"Heath, of course."

Fiora suddenly felt her heartbeat accelerate. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, girl. You've been spending a lot of time with him lately, and from what I've heard, it's been that way even before I joined up. You were the first one to befriend him after he defected, you work with him almost as much as you do with your own sisters, and he seems to open up more to you than he does to… to his own mentor." Her voice seemed to crack a little on the last statement.

Fiora found herself inching away from the older woman. The stairs were still to her back; she could run if she had to. She didn't know why she was considering running, of course, as Vaida hadn't given the pegasus knight any reason to fear her just yet. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this conversation was going to a place neither of them would like.

"I've known Heath for years," Vaida went on. "And I've never seen him behave the way he does when he's around you."

"Heath's changed," Fiora countered. "He told me himself that he's grown bitter since he left the Bern army."

"And yet he seems happier than ever now."

Fiora blinked. "W-What?"

"I can imagine that turning his back on the only home he's ever known tore Heath up inside. He was always smiling when I saw him, even when I drove him into the ground with training—always an optimist. Then, after what happened… Well. Suffice it to say, I didn't think I'd see him smiling again anytime soon." She turned her head. "But every time you're around… It's like nothing ever happened, like he's right where he's supposed to be instead of a deserter struggling to find his place. In fact, I'd say he's more at home with you than he ever was with me—us."

Fiora swallowed more loudly than she'd have liked. "You read too much into our relationship."

Vaida laughed harshly. "Don't insult me, girl. Anyone with eyes can see the nature of your 'relationship.' You two are fond of each other, even if you're both too stubborn and cowardly to do anything about it."

The color rose in Fiora's cheeks. "That's not why we…"

Vaida arched an eyebrow. "Not why you… what?"

Fiora fell silent, averting her gaze.

Vaida let out an exasperated sigh. "Very well. If that isn't the reason, then what is?"

"Nothing." She took a breath. "There is no reason. And there's nothing between us, save friendship."

"I told you not to insult me, girl," Vaida said again, more darkly this time. "If you're going to keep leading Heath on like this, I suggest you move on yourself. He deserves a woman who's going to treat him right."

Fiora's cheeks grew hot again, but she noticed something in Vaida's tone, something in the way she turned away when she spoke of their 'relationship' and the kind of woman Heath deserved, that made her pause. She peered closely at Vaida. "You… you love him, don't you?"

Vaida's head snapped up. "What did you say?!"

"You love him. That's what this is about. You're not just concerned for him, you're jealous."

The wyvern knight's eyes were wide and ablaze, and her hand tightened around the grip of her sword. "You…" After a few tense moments, though, she laughed. "You've got some cheek, don't you, girl?"

Fiora stood her ground. "That wasn't a denial."

"No. No, it wasn't." Vaida sighed, turning away.

Fiora remained silent.

"I can't remember a time when I wasn't this bitter," Vaida went on, a forlorn look in her eyes. "It's just the way I've lived my life. And when he came into it… I didn't know what to do with him. No matter how I treated him, how much I insulted him, how hard I drove him, he kept coming back for more… and always with a smile. I couldn't break him, and, over time, I didn't want to any more. I suppose I grew fond of him, and eventually… well, 'love' is a bit too strong a word, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't partially true."

If it was anyone else, Fiora would have stepped forward and tried to comfort the woman in front of her. With Vaida, however, that was more likely to make things worse than better.

"After the desertion, it seemed unlikely that he and I would ever meet again. But even if I did see him, I was convinced I'd never see his smile again. I tried to make myself not care about him, to convince myself he was just another worthless piece of wyvern feed. And then I did see him, fighting alongside with Eliwood's lot as I tried to take the dragon children from them… and I simply didn't know what to do. To fight him… well, it would have broken my heart, to be honest." She looked over at the pegasus knight. "I suppose it was you that held him back?"

Fiora nodded, unsure of what else she could do.

"Good call. If he'd confronted me then, I'd have done my damnedest to kill him, if only so he'd never think of me as a friend again."

Fiora recalled the augury, how the fortune-teller had told them that Vaida had been far too powerful for them to take at the time. If she'd doubted her decision to hold Heath back before, she certainly didn't after hearing that.

"But when I joined you, and saw him again…" She put a hand up to her face, trying not to make it too obvious that she was wiping away a tear. "There was that smile again. Someone had given it back to him, and it didn't take long to figure out that that someone was you." She looked up at Fiora. "You say I'm jealous…? I suppose, a little. He does have a way of making my heart melt when I least want it to. But he was never meant for me. I'd realized that while we were still in the service of Bern. And while I'd never admit it to him, I'm just glad to see him happy."

Fiora nodded. She'd never expected Vaida of all people to say something like that, but she felt like she understood the wyvern rider a little better now.

Vaida's face resumed its dark expression, and her voice took on an equally dark tone as she stepped towards the pegasus knight. "Which is why, if you two can't get your heads out of the sand long enough to admit that you love each other and stop leading each other on like this, there will be hell to pay."

There was no humor in the threat, nor was there any danger of Fiora taking it lightly. Still, she shook her head. "It's not that simple."

"I've found that people often say that when it's simpler than they'd like to think."

"You think I don't want to make Heath happy? You think I don't want to be happy myself? If telling him was all it would take to accomplish that, I'd do it in an instant. But there's more to it than that. I…" She swallowed. "I just can't let myself love him."

Vaida scowled at her for a moment, then shook her head and turned away. "Whatever's holding you back, you'd better deal with it sooner or later," she growled. "Unless you want to end up old, bitter, and alone… like me."

She turned and walked back to her mount without another word. Fiora also turned and led her pegasus toward the deck, silently thankful that she'd been able to hold back her tears for that long as they began streaming down her face.

* * *

"_There!" Serra called triumphantly as she pulled her staff away from Florina's side. "Perfect! Now get back out there and show them what you're made of!"_

"_What she's made of," a voice came from nearby, "is flesh and blood." Matthew glared up at Serra from where he was reclining on the ground a few meters away. "And the enemy is getting to see far too much of that blood, in my opinion."_

"_Hey!" Serra said indignantly, hands going to her hips. "I'll have you know that Florina is quite a capable fighter! Why, she..."_

"_I know that," Matthew said, his eyes drifting shut. "It wasn't Florina's competence that I was questioning."_

"_What do you...?" It took Serra a moment to get the insult. "HEY!" she shouted, much louder this time._

_Fiora helped her sister up as the cleric marched over to her companion's relaxed form, shouting a string of indignant insults at him. Matthew recoiled a little, but only because Serra was stamping the ground as she spoke, and her foot was dangerously close to his groin. Fiora couldn't help but grin, as Florina let out a giggle. The elder pegasus knight felt a little surprised at her sister; normally, she was too shy around other people to find their antics funny. She supposed it was due to her growing friendship with the cleric. Florina was no more comfortable with Matthew than she was with most of the men, but Serra's admittedly hilarious antics were able to drive even her androphobia into temporary submission. The cleric didn't mean to be so funny, of course; in her own mind, she was every bit the fit, proper lady she described to others, usually moments before they mysteriously burst out with a fit of suspicious coughing and had to excuse themselves from her presence. Serra's incomprehension of her own hilarity only lent to it, and a good thing, too, or Florina wouldn't have felt comfortable enough to talk to her. But as it was, Serra was one of her best friends, something for which Fiora was quite grateful._

_Still, as the cleric finished with her admonishment of the Ostian spy, Fiora started to pull Florina up. While Serra did bring some much-needed levity to their situation, they could not forget how grave it was to begin with. "We should be going," she said. "We may have secured the assassins, but there are still plenty of Black Fang troops running around the palace."_

"_Well, if you must," Serra sighed. "But do come see me again soon, will you, Flory?"_

"_You do realize you just asked them to get injured so you'd have to heal them again, right?" Matthew asked. "Also: Flory?"_

_Serra turned to glare at him again. The thief made a subtle but hasty move to cover his groin._

"_Shouldn't you two be on your way as well?" Fiora asked. "There must be others in need of healing."_

_Matthew shook his head. "Anyone in need of healing is supposed to come back here and find Serra, since it'd be dangerous to have her wandering through the halls herself. As much as I'd love a change of scenery, I-"_

_He suddenly cut himself off and sprang to his feet, hand on his blade. He darted over to the entrance to a nearby corridor, peering carefully around the corner. "Someone's coming," he whispered._

_Fiora couldn't hear anything, but she had little choice but to trust the honed senses of a thief. She and Florina readied their lances as quietly as possible, while Serra drew a light magic tome from her robes. Soon enough, she could hear the footsteps of the person approaching, the light, quick stride of someone with a light weapon and little to no armor. A swordsman, probably, but one of theirs, or the Black Fang's?_

_She got her answer in a moment when the footsteps stopped. "I can hear your breathing, Matthew," the swordsman called. "It's just me, so try not to hack me apart, all right?"_

_Matthew let out a sigh as he released his blade. "How can you possibly recognize my breathing when I'm holding my breath?"_

"_Practice." The myrmidon stepped forward, close enough for the four of them to make out his figure. "How's it going over here?"_

"_We're all right, Guy," Fiora replied. Florina drew back a little. "Serra was just giving us a little healing."_

"_Well, if you don't mind, can I borrow this unscrupulous coward for a minute?"_

_Matthew rolled his eyes. "I'm glad to see you too, Guy. What do you need?"_

"_We've found a few chests for you to open. We've cleared out most of the enemies between here and there, so it shouldn't take too long for you to come get them, then get back here. And if we do run into anyone, we should be able to handle it."_

"_Wait," Fiora said, raising an arm. "This is the Bern palace. Can we just go opening chests as we please?"_

"_Of course we can! I have lockpicks!" Matthew sprang to his feet. "Lead the way, Guy! I was just saying how much I'd like a change of scenery."_

_Fiora sighed. "I just don't think the royal family would be too happy with us opening their chests."_

"_The royal family doesn't have to know," Matthew said. Then, with a wink to Fiora, "And neither does a certain former knight of Bern."_

_Fiora just glared at him._

_Matthew sighed. "All right, I'll be serious. Look at it this way. We're here to save Prince Zephiel, right? We need to make use of all the resources we can to do that. The family can consider this compensation for helping to save their son, and if they still take issue with it, we can sort it all out later."_

_Fiora hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "You're right. We need to use everything at our disposal to complete our mission. Be careful, you two."_

"_Hold on a moment!"_

_Everyone in the group turned, surprised; Serra's voice was even more high-pitched than usual._

"_You can't just leave me alone here, Matthew! Your orders are to protect me!"_

"_Didn't you hear what Guy said? I'll be back before you know it. Besides, you've got that book now, so shouldn't you be able to take care of yourself?"_

_Serra opened her mouth, but closed it again, apparently unable to think of a good counter to that. Fiora looked at her face, and was surprised to find her expression was genuinely fearful. Matthew was right; there was little real danger, and Serra was more than able to defend herself now that she was learning to use light magic. Yet for some reason, Serra didn't want to be away from him, even for that short time._

_Looking over at Matthew, Fiora was equally surprised at his expression—not one of fear, but rather… concern, perhaps? As much as Serra didn't want to be alone, he seemed to fear leaving her alone. As much as the two bickered, and as much as he wanted to be away from her, something was preventing him from just leaving._

"…_Never mind," the thief said at last. "Come along, and be sure not to make too much noise."_

_He swiftly disappeared down the hall, Serra following soon after as she tried to hide her look of relief. Guy cast a surprised glance after them, then nodded at the two sisters and followed them himself._

"_We should be going, too," Florina said._

"…_Of course," Fiora said, moderately distracted._

_The two of them mounted their pegasi, and began making their way through the cramped castle halls. Florina glanced at her sister, still lost in thought. "Is everything all right?"_

_At first, Fiora didn't want to say anything. They were in battle, after all, and something as trivial as that paled in comparison to the threat of the Black Fang. Yet the more she tried not to think about it, the more it gnawed at her. At last, she met her sister's gaze. "Matthew and Serra… they care about each other, don't they?"_

_Florina looked taken aback, but, after glancing around to make sure they were alone, smiled. "I think so, yes."_

"_But the way he acts around her… he seems to despise her."_

"_Maybe a part of him does. And maybe that part hates her now more than ever because another part of him is starting to fall for her."_

_Fiora couldn't help but smile a little. "She is a… a bit much, isn't she?"_

"_She can be, yes," Florina laughed. "I imagine that's why he's trying so hard to deny the fact that he's attracted to her. He's grown close enough to her to see past her faults, even if he doesn't really want to."_

_Fiora shook her head. This was silly; it was the sort of gossip Farina would engage in after a few too many drinks, not the sort of thing Fiora usually bothered with, especially not in the middle of a battle. Still, there was something that bothered her. "You're probably right," she said. "But I think there's more to it than that."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_Fiora was silent for a long time before responding. "Do you… do you think he's forgotten about Leila?"_

"_Oh." Florina evidently hadn't thought of that, and wasn't sure how to respond._

"_I don't think he has."_

"_No, probably not. And he shouldn't. But that doesn't mean he can't move on, does it?"_

"…_I don't know. I would think so. If you've loved and lost like that… how could you ever bring yourself to love again?"_

_Florina turned away. "I don't know."_

_The two rode in silence for a while._

"…_But…" Florina took a breath. "Well. You know how much Lucius and I love each other. Ever since we left Caelin, he's taken care of me, and I do the same for him."_

_While it felt odd to hear her sister speak so plainly of love, Fiora nodded. "I've seen you two together. Sometimes I wish I hadn't."_

_Florina chuckled a little. "I can't imagine what life would be like without him… what I'd do if he died. But… I do know he wants me to be happy. And if he felt that I'd be happiest if I moved on and found someone else… that's what he'd want me to do. That's what he'd tell me to do, if he could."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_Because that's the kind of person he is. …That's the kind of person I fell in love with."_

"…_And would you want the same for him?"_

"_Well, if he hooked up with a priestess the day after I died, I'd be sure to come back and haunt him for all eternity," Florina replied. "But once the pain passes… yes, I'd want him to be happy, too."_

"_And how long would that take?"_

"_I don't know." Florina looked back over her shoulder. "I guess, for Matthew, it hasn't been long enough."_

_Fiora nodded, silently._

_Florina hesitated for a moment, then placed her arm on her sister's shoulder. "Look… I know it wasn't a lover, but… well, Matthew's not the only one who's lost someone on the Dread Isle."_

_Fiora lowered her eyes. "I know. I…"_

"_Hey!"_

_They both sat up sharply at the shout; they'd gotten so involved in their conversation, they'd forgotten where they were. Hyperion was lumbering toward them through the halls, with Heath leaning on his back, clutching his shoulder. "I don't suppose you two happened to see Serra on your way here, did you?"_

_Fiora took a closer look; Heath's right spaulder was dented, and there was blood visible on his clothing underneath it. He'd taken a hit from a heavy weapon. "She's busy," Fiora said, quickly dismounting, "but I have an elixir. Hold on a moment."_

"_I'll ride ahead and help the others," Florina said. She cast one last worried look at her sister before riding off._

"_Drink this," Fiora said, handing him the elixir._

"_Much obliged," Heath said, smiling at her before he took a swig of the potion. He grimaced at both the taste, and at the sensation of the healing concoction going to work on his damaged shoulder._

_After a few seconds, he looked up at her. "Are you all right?"_

"_Of course," she said, a little surprised. "Why wouldn't I be?"_

"_Well, it's just that…" he looked down._

_She followed his gaze and, with a start, realized that she hand unknowingly placed her hand on his, and that it had been lingering there for some time now. She quickly drew away, instantly regretting it. His touch was… comforting. More so than she cared to admit._

"_We should get going," she said, turning away before she could see his expression, not wanting to know whether he was glad or disappointed that she'd removed her hand. She mounted up, and glanced at him to see him struggling to turn Hyperion around in the confined space. Before long, the two of them were on their way back to the battle._

_Even as they rode, though, Fiora's mind lingered on her sister's words, both those spoken and those left silent._

_No, Matthew was not the only one who'd lost someone on the Dread Isle._

_Nor was he the only one having trouble accepting love._


End file.
